Media authoring systems are employed to create media that comply with given standards. For example, a DVD authoring system is used to generate data, such as audio and video data, and to organize this data along with other information used to present and access the data, for placement on a DVD. The organized data are recorded onto a DVD according to standards defined for DVD. Similarly, Blu-ray® authoring systems are used to create optical discs (“BD”) storing information according to standards defined by the Blu-ray® Disc Association. BD titles may include applications as well as audiovideo content.
No matter the format, current authoring means for assembling and displaying digital content on various entertainment media are time-consuming and tend to duplicate authoring efforts between creative and engineering components on single projects and also between multiple projects. Current practices of implementing templates and using modularity reduce overall time required but do not eliminate duplicated work.
For example, some systems attempt to simplify the development process by automatically generating BD-J code. These applications go some distance towards reducing or eliminating the need for a Java® programmer. However, many such applications have their own limitations and thus limit the features desired. Other systems and methods, e.g., Blu-ray® authoring systems such as Ensequence on-Q® or Blu-print®, essentially require that a new disc be authored from scratch. While shorcuts exist, e.g., the re-use of file structures or templates, the basic steps remain the same, and the process is time-consuming and duplicative. Even more, significant investments in time are required by engineers to create the new disc, even though most new aspects for each new disc are creative in nature, not technical.